Shielding device for nail-hardening compositions



May 14, 1968 B. DINERSTEIN 3,382,873

SHIELDING DEVICE FOR NAIL-HARDENING COMPOSITIONS Filed July 29, 1964 FIG] FIGZ INVENTOR BEN DINER STEIN rum-We i C ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,382,878 SHIELDING DEVICE FOR NAIL-HARDENING COMPOSITIONS Ben Dinerstein, 40 E. 9th St., New York, NY. 10003 Filed July 29, 1964, Ser. No. 385,962 1 Claim. (Cl. 132-885) This invention relates to a novel device adapted for use in applying liquid nail-hardening compositions to human fingernails.

Women commonly use liquid nail-hardening compositions to harden the forward portion of their fingernails, usually referred to as the white tips. Some of these liquid compositions contain a substantial amount of formaldehyde and are applied by means of a small brush or the like. In some people the cuticle and soft tissue surrounding the fingernails are very sensitive to irritation by formaldehyde, and such persons must take meticulous care not to contact the cuticle and soft tissue with the formaldehyde-containing nail-hardening composition. In order to prevent any possibility of irritaton of the cuticle and soft tissue, the Food and Drug Administration requires formaldehyde-containing nail-hardening compositions to be sold together With a suitable stencil or shield which prevents the liquid nail-hardening composition from coming into cont-act with the cuticle and soft tissue.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a stencil or shield which exposes the white tip of the nail for coating with a formaldehyde-containing liquid nailhardening composition while protecting the cuticle and surrounding skin against contact with the liquid composition.

It is another object of the invention to provide a novel nail stencil or shield which enables one rapidly to coat fingernails with liquids comprising formaldehyde without contacting the cuticle and surrounding skin with the liquids.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description.

The novel nail stencil or shield of the present invention for applying formaldehyde-containing liquids to human nails while protecting the cuticle and surrounding skin from the liquid is consisted of a flat, pliable sheet material having a projecting forward end which is placed under the white tip of the nail, integral side portions which extend over the side edges of the nail and the skin adjacent to the side edges of the nail, a rear portion to cover the end portion of the nail, the cuticle and the skin to the rear of it, adhesive means on one face of the shield for holding it in position on the finger, a transverse slit approximately one third the distance from the forward edge of the stencil, and an arched curvilinear aperture rearward of said transverse slit.

Referring now to the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the shielding device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial plan view of the shielding device of FIG. 1 in which the protecting backing is partially pulled away.

FIG. 3 illustrates a finger with the shielding device of the invention placed in position about the fingernail.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the figures, the shielding device consists of a forward projection portion 1, integral side portions 2 and 3 and a rear portion 4, a transverse, substantially linear slit 5, and a forwardly arched curvilinear slit 6 forward of the linear slit 5.

The shielding device has an adhesive on the underside of at least the side portions 2 and 3 and preferably also 3,382,878 Patented May 14, 1968 ice under the rear portion 4. FIG. 2 illustrates the protective cover 7, for the adhesive being peeled from the underside of the stencil starting at the rearward portion 4. The rear portion 4 does not necessarily require any adhesive since the stencil may be held firmly in place by side portions 2 and 3.

After removal of the protective cover 7, the stencil is ready to be applied to a finger 8 having a fingernail with a white tip 9 and a cuticle 10. To position the shielding device, the white tip 9 of the fingernail is slipped through the transverse slit 5 so that the forward portion 1 of the shielding device is beneath the white tip 9 of the fingernail and the center of the fingernail is exposed through aperture 6. The integral side portions 2 and 3 and the rear portion 4 are positioned to cover the remainder of the fingernail, the skin surrounding the fingernail and the cuticle 10. The shielding device is held in position by the adhesive on the under side of side portions 2 and 3 and rear portion 4 by pressing the said portion against the finger 8. The shielding device can be easily removed from the finger after application of the liquid nail hardener by a gentle pull on the side portions 2 and 3 or rearward portion 4.

When the shielding devices are positioned on the fingers as shown in FIG. 3, the white tips 8 and the center portion of the fingernail can be treated with liquids as desired without contacting the cuticles and the surrounding soft tissue.

The shielding device is preferably made of paper because it is inexpensive and can economically be discarded after one application of the liquid nail-hardening composition However, it may be made of other materials, such as celluoid or plastic.

Various modifications of the shielding device of the invention may be made without departing from the-spirit or scope thereof, and it is to be understood that the invention is to be limited only as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A nail-shielding device of unitary construction for use in applying a formaldehyde-containing liquid nail-hardening composition to human fingernails While protecting the cuticle and surrounding skin tissue from contact with said liquid composition, said nail-shielding device consisting of a main body of flat, pliable, liquid-impermeable sheet material having a projecting forward portion and a rearward portion; a transverse slit in said sheet material at approximately one-third the distance from the forward edge of said forward portion to the rear edge of said rear ward portion slit means including a transverse slit having a length adapted to accommodate the width of a human fingernail; means for exposing a portion of the nail center, said means comprising a U-shaped aperture in said sheet material extending rearward from said transverse slit, the width and length of said aperture being such that said aperture is adopted to expose only the center portion of a human fingernail; and adhesive means on the underside of said shielding device for holding it in place on the finger.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,031,225 2/1936 ODonnell 132-885 2,323,145 6/1943 Mabry 132-885 2,539,115 1/1951 Brachman 128-153 3,245,418 4/1966 Dinerstein 132-885 LOUIS G. MANCENE, Primary Examiner.

G. E. MCNEILL, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A NAIL-SHIELDING DEVICE OF UNITARY CONSTRUCTION FOR USE IN APPLYING A FORMALDEHYDE-CONTAINING LIQUID NAIL-HARDENING COMPOSITION TO HUMAN FINGERNAILS WHILE PROTECTING THE CUTICLE AND SURROUNDING SKIN TISSUE FROM CONTACT WITH SAID LIQUID COMPOSITION, SAID NAIL-SHIELDING DEVICE CONSISTING OF A MAIN BODY OF FLAT, PLIABLE, LIQUID-IMPERMEABLE SHEET MATERIAL HAVING A PROJECTING FORWARD PORTION AND A REARWARD PORTION; A TRANSVERSE SLIT IN SAID SHEET MATERIAL AT APPROXIMATELY ONE-THIRD THE DISTANCE FROM THE FORWARD EDGE OF SAID FORWARD PORTION TO THE REAR EDGE OF SAID REARWARD PORTION SLIT MEANS INCLUDING A TRANSVERSE SLIT HAVING A LENGTH ADAPTED TO ACCOMMODATE THE WIDTH OF A HUMAN FINGERNAIL; MEANS FOR EXPOSING A PORTION OF THE NAIL CENTER, SAID MEANS COMPRISING A U-SHAPED APERTURE IN SAID SHEET MATERIAL EXTENDING REARWARD FROM SAID TRANSVERSE SLIT, THE WIDTH AND LENGTH OF SAID APERTURE BEING SUCH THAT SAID APERTURE IS ADOPTED TO EXPOSE ONLY THE CENTER PORTION OF A HUMAN FINGERNAIL; AND ADHESIVE MEANS ON THE UNDERSIDE OF SAID SHIELDING DEVICE FOR HOLDING IT IN PLACE ON THE FINGER. 